


Old Praetors And Could-Have-Beens

by TagTheScullion



Series: Camp Jupiter Confidential: a Series of Short Stories [4]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, F/M, i'm still bitter about jason and reyna not speaking alone in moa, yes i know it's been 8 and a half years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:40:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29901222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TagTheScullion/pseuds/TagTheScullion
Summary: “No, Jason,” Reyna said. “I’m not angry. I’m upset, because you went missing eight months ago. I’m tired because I’ve been running this camp, trying to fix the mess the war last year made, keeping everyone moderately happy, leading our camp, our comrades into another battle… All by myself.”
Relationships: Jason Grace & Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Jason Grace/Piper McLean (mentioned), Jason Grace/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano (past sort of)
Series: Camp Jupiter Confidential: a Series of Short Stories [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764232
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Old Praetors And Could-Have-Beens

**Author's Note:**

> Two fics in a day? I'm amazing.
> 
> No, but for real, I have a couple of free days and a bunch of drafts I'm looking through, and some had more potential than others.
> 
> I was absolutely offended at the lack of Reyna and Jason interaction in Mark of Athena, they were best friends, they deserved to at least speak briefly about what had happened.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“Wait!” Jason took hold of Reyna’s arm before she could walk away. 

Reyna knew if she pulled her arm away, he wouldn’t follow her. And she was tempted to do so, too, but there was something in his eyes that made her stop.

Once she gave him her full attention, he seemed to lose his nerve… 

It was strange, standing in front of him after such a long time. He looked the same, and yet he didn’t. His hair was longer, like it had been the summer before, when no one had had time to care about appearances. And he was openly hesitant, Jason wouldn’t have allowed his expression to showcast his feelings like that before.

Or perhaps Reyna _wanted_ him to be different, so she could blame him for something. It hadn’t been his fault he’d left… but Reyna felt the hurt and desperation wash over her like it had the day she’d woken up to find him missing.

“You wanted something?” She asked, after the charged silence between them had thickened uncomfortably. 

Jason closed his expression. Not well enough for _her_ to be unable to read him, but enough for it to be apparent.

“I just wanted to talk to you,” he said. 

“Well… talk,” Reyna crossed her arms and shifted her weight from one leg to another.

Jason swallowed. “I missed you.”

Reyna huffed. Perhaps it wasn’t a dignified reply from a Roman praetor, but their surroundings were people-free and she allowed herself some leniency. 

“I can see that,” she said, hoping her tone reflected at least one of her churning feelings. “What with all your communication attempts, and how you look more comfortable with some random kids you met half a year ago than the friends you’ve had forever.” 

Reyna was perfectly aware that the bitterness she inflicted in her words was unnecessary. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest, and she _wanted_ him to feel as betrayed as she herself felt the moment she saw him disembark a _Greek warship._

“I tried!” Jason cried. “I didn’t remember at first, and then communications were cut short… and I wasn’t sure the exact location of this place.”

“For someone who didn’t remember what he left behind you were quick to rebuild your life from scratch,” Reyna pointed out. “A new best friend, another quest, the trust of our enemies, and… a girlfriend.”

Jason’s Adam’s Apple bobbed up and down, his eyes flickered here and there. He made a vague gesture with his hands.

“Piper and I…” he scratched the back of his neck. “She doesn’t…”

When it was obvious Jason wouldn’t finish his sentence Reyna said, “She doesn’t know about me. About us.”

Jason finally managed to look at her in the eye. “We didn’t have time to be anything. Is this why you’re angry? Because of Piper?”

Reyna took a deep breath, trying to keep the burning sensation out of her eyes. 

“No, Jason,” she said. “I’m not angry. I’m upset, because you went missing eight months ago and you haven’t had the decency to warn me more than a day in advance that you’d be coming back out of nowhere with a warship. I’m tired because I’ve been running this camp, trying to fix the mess the war last year made, keeping everyone moderately happy, leading _our_ camp, _our_ comrades into another battle… All by myself.”

Jason opened his mouth to say something, but Reyna was on a roll. “And you’re finally back here, a metre away from me, and what do you tell me? That we had nothing, were we not _friends_ , Jason? Were we not praetors _together_ ? You’re about to get back on your threatening golden warship, with your new friends, and leave me _alone_ to deal with whatever mess you’re about to get into. _Again_. It’s exhausting!”

“It’s not my fault,” Jason said dejectedly. Reyna wanted him to be angry, passionate, just like he had been before he left, whenever they’d spoken about their dreams and goals. This new laissez-faire Jason made Reyna anxious. “You think I _wanted_ this to happen? That I _wanted_ to be taken away?”

“Maybe not,” Reyna admitted. “But you wouldn’t change it.”

Jason grabbed one of her hands with both of his. “We can bring peace between the camps. I’m _not_ happy it happened this way, but it’s an opportunity!”

“An opportunity,” she repeated. “And after you go on this world saving quest, will you finally accept the praetorship?” 

His hesitation was confirmation enough.

“You don’t want to come back.” 

Jason took a shaky breath, “I don’t know what I want.”

To Reyna’s horror, she felt her eyes prickle. Her accelerated heartbeat was loud in her ears.

She took a long step back, away from him. “I hope you find happiness with them.”

Her words were barely loud enough to be heard, but he flinched nonetheless.

“That’s not— I didn’t say—.”

But Reyna didn’t want to hear his weak excuses. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to cry, to yell, to feel. She’d kept her emotions in check for almost a year, hoping the day Jason returned, she’d be able to let it all out to him. 

She tried not to think of the dooming circumstances New Rome was facing, or the Greek kids enjoying the feast not too far away. She especially didn’t want to think of the son of Jupiter’s anguished expression when he spoke about his future. 

Jason wasn’t the same person she’d known, that much was clear. She didn’t fault him for changing, but she didn’t want to be close to him at that moment. He could keep his Greek friends and his pretty girlfriend, Reyna didn’t care.

But that was the thing. She did care, she didn’t want to lead her people alone again. Or worse, in the company of Octavian.

She took a calming breath. One problem at a time. Gaea was rising, there was no time or energy to be wasted on her personal problems. She needed to act.

Jason had been right about one thing: the two camps had to work together. She wanted to talk to their leader, make sure Annabeth knew Camp Jupiter wouldn’t be ordered around. They had protocols and rules, order, hierarchy. And it must all be respected.

Reyna wiped her face clean, made sure her breathing and heartbeat had gone back to normal, and joined the Greeks in the mess hall. Aurum and Argentum greeted her enthusiastically. 

“I’d like a few words with Annabeth,” Reyna said, as everyone was getting up. “Alone.”


End file.
